Can Big-Bank Stocks Withstand an Earnings Slowdown?

Several stories weigh in on banks ahead of earnings season. And the usually gloomy Nouriel Roubini is bullish on the U.S. economy.

Shares of the nation's biggest commercial banks have risen with the broader market this year, following a stellar, market-beating 2012.

But the stock gains these big banks enjoy going forward will come in spite of the expected decline in earnings growth, a result of both a weak lending and investment banking environment during the first quarter....